OSBORNE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
12 academies with a full-year return, 3 of them in deficit at their latest return. A trust can move money between its academies, so an academy shown in deficit may be supported by the trust as a whole.
Most of a school's money pays for staff, so deficits usually build up when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or when pupil numbers fall and the money that comes with each pupil goes too. What helps: a recovery plan agreed with the council or trust that brings the budget back into balance over a few years, regular forecasts that governors check, and early conversations about pupil numbers and special needs funding.
- 2018-19: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,118 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,182 in 2025–26 prices. The IFS average for all trusts in 2023-24 was £510 per pupil, in 2025–26 prices (IFS, p.56).
Figures are each school's latest full-year return, total with the per-pupil figure beside it. PTA income is the school's share of its registered parents' association's latest return, in the school year that return falls in. Where no registered parents' association was found, the school may still have one: charities with an income of £5,000 or less need not register.
| School | Status | Reserve | Government funding | Spending | PTA income | PTA per pupil | Donations | Reserve per pupil trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In deficit | -£82k -£187 per pupil | £3.0m £6,931 per pupil | £3.4m £7,711 per pupil | £19k | — | £53k £121 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£33k -£132 per pupil | £1.4m £5,409 per pupil | £1.5m £5,988 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £32k £128 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£30k -£134 per pupil | £1.2m £5,359 per pupil | £1.4m £6,427 per pupil | £9k £42 per pupil | £42 | £177k £805 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£67 per pupil | £2.7m £6,591 per pupil | £2.7m £6,540 per pupil | £8k £19 per pupil | £19 | £29k £70 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£114k +£103 per pupil | £8.2m £7,431 per pupil | £8.3m £7,501 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2008 | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£441k +£594 per pupil | £5.9m £7,878 per pupil | £5.6m £7,474 per pupil | £3k £4 per pupil | £4 | £24k £32 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£239k +£545 per pupil | £2.8m £6,301 per pupil | £2.8m £6,304 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£919 per pupil | £13.8m £9,563 per pupil | £14.0m £9,690 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2010 | — | -£22k -£15 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£537k +£629 per pupil | £5.6m £6,508 per pupil | £5.3m £6,212 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£2k -£2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£347k +£782 per pupil | £3.1m £6,981 per pupil | £3.1m £7,066 per pupil | £18k £39 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £39 | £6k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£457k +£721 per pupil | £3.7m £5,814 per pupil | £3.7m £5,781 per pupil | £12k £19 per pupil | £19 | -£9k -£14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£594k +£907 per pupil | £4.6m £7,000 per pupil | £4.2m £6,460 per pupil | £20k £30 per pupil | £30 | £5k £8 per pupil |
Sources: DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data (CFR returns for council-run schools, April to March; academy accounts returns, September to August), Get Information about Schools, DfE section 251 outturn (DSG balances), the Charity Commission register and the IFS annual report on education spending in England 2025–26 (IFS figures in 2025–26 prices, November 2025 deflator). Open Government Licence v3.0. Check at source: DfE benchmarking for this trust. How these figures are worked out